Powerful Creek tough to stop

Cherry Creek’s Greg Popylisen slides into second base ahead of the throw to Loaf ‘N Jug’s Derek Robinson during the Andenucio tournament game Thursday at Hobbs Field. (Chieftain photo/Whitney Hayward)

Team Loaf ‘N Jug struggled offensively and couldn’t keep pace with perennial power Cherry Creek, dropping a 5-0 decision in its opening game of the 34th annual Tony Andenucio Memorial tournament at Hobbs Field.

“We just couldn’t find a way to string hits together,” Sanchez said about his squad, which only had five hits. “When our bats go cold that impacts our energy as a team. We have to find a way to produce offensively.”

Loaf (9-5) completed its first day of play late Thursday night with a game against Albuquerque. Cherry Creek, winners of eight ’Nuch titles since 1983, finished with a 1-1 record.

In the third inning, Loaf pitcher Troy Schreivogel ran into problems with command issues.

Creek scored four runs on four hits, but Schreivogel also walked home two of those runs.

“He left some balls up, and he made some mistakes,” Sanchez said about Schreivogel. “He just wasn’t real crisp.”

Creek added a run in the fifth and that was more than enough support for pitcher Cale O’Donnell.

O’Donnell, a 6-foot-3, 175-pounder who graduated from Rocky Mountain High School in the spring, threw a complete game with four strikeouts.

Jorden Fields, a South High School graduate, also had two hits for Creek.

“O’Donnell did a real good job,” Cherry Creek coach Marc Johnson said. “His performance was good enough for us to get the win.”